Isabelle goes to school
by Landalein
Summary: Isabelle decides to start school in order to get closer to Simon... and drags Clary with her! Post COG may contain spoilers. Okay, no it does. Rated T because I'm not entirely sure about the last few chapters yet.
1. Prologue

_This is for my lovely, wonderfull and very talented Beta, who has stories under the name blackwitchkarma. You are a life saver, do you know that? I swear that the only reason I haven't read your fanfics is cuz they're all about that Bleach-thingy. I'm sure they're great, and all that! =P_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Instruments. The wonderful Cassandra Clare does! Lucky her...**

* * *

**An Announcement**

"Good morning!" called Isabelle, bursting through the door without warning. Clary jumped, and quickly pulled on the tank top hanging on her chair.

"Luke let us in," came Jace's voice as he, too, edged in the door. He was juggling three steaming mugs of coffee and a paper bag that smelled of cinnamon. Clary heard her stomach rumble even as she smiled at him.

"Nice hair," he commented as he sat on her desk, pushing her pad a heap of pencils out of the way. Clary shot him a glare before giving Isabelle an entreating look. Isabelle grabbed the brush and hairdryer off Clary's bed, and began to tackle the mass of damp curls.

Jace handed her a mug of coffe and a cinnamon bun like a peace offering, and she stopped shooting him death glares.

"So, what are we doing today?" asked Clary. She had been studying in the Institute with them for the last few months. As a result, she and Isabelle had grown much closer. When they had returned from Idris, Isabelle had been completely torn up about Max, blaming everything on herself, and Clary had to adjust to a whole new way of life. Somewhere along the line, they had really bonded. Jace was pleased and peeved about this in equal measures.

"I'm going to go to school," announced Isabelle cheerfully.

Jace choked inelegantly on his drink, and Clary turned to look at her in absolute disbelief, nearly dropping her mug in the process.

"What?" Jace finally managed a single word. Isabelle decided that no matter how horrible school might be, it would be worth it, if only for his reaction. She had never seen Jace this shocked . Ever.

"Izzy," Clary said, a frown appearing on her face. "Please tell me I'm wrong, and this has nothing to do with Simon?"

Isabelle scowled, Clary knew her too well. And as usual, she was right. It wasn't fair! Why should that werewolf girl be allowed to go to school with Simon, and not her? In any other circumstances, she would have liked Maia, who was funny and easy going. Even if she had no dress sense whatsoever. But as far as this issue went, she was not prepared to step down or lose focus. She had seen him first. Hell, she had kissed him first. He was _hers_, Maia or no Maia.

Clary caught the determined look in her eyes and groaned. "This is about him, isn't it? Izzy, let this one go. School's no fun anyway."

I should have seen this coming, Clary realised. Ever since Maia had decided to give school another go, Isabelle had become increasingly jealous. This would end badly – Isabelle wasn't cut out for mundane school.

Isabelle, on the other hand, was feeling smug. She resisted the temptation to laugh. Not only was she going to be with Simon, but she would still be spending time with Clary. And Clary had absolutely no clue. Yes, this was _perfect. _

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_My first ever fanfic... so R&R - I react well to critisizm, I swear =]_


	2. Chapter 1

This chapter is dedicated to everyone who put my story on alert, but especially call us crazy, who gave me my first review. Thanx, you have made my day full of joy and hyperness.

As always, thanx to my lovely beta, who i couldn't write without. She bullies me into deadlines. She's the best!!

So: enjoy!

**Disclaimer: MI isn't mine... Cassandra Clare beat me to it! =] oj oj **

**Rose, however, is miiiiinnnnnnneeeeeeee! **

* * *

**School, glorious School**

Clary was furious. Jace had the sense to get out of her way. He had no doubt she knew he'd been in on it, and would make him regret it if he hung around too long. He watched as the car drove away, an uncomfortable looking Luke in the driver's seat while Clary shot glares at Isabelle from the back seat.

In the car, there was silence. The kind of hair raising, nail biting silence that most people avoided. Especially if the girl who was mad at you could quite probably blow up the car, if she decided to. Then again, Isabelle was not most people. She pulled something that looked vaguely tube-ish out of the pocket, and smiled. She had Clary's stele.

Clary didn't miss the smile, and saw the edge of the stele in Isabelle's hand. She resisted the urge to kick the back of Isabelle's seat or start swearing at the top of her voice. There were other ways of killing Isabelle, she reasoned. She didn't _need_ her stele for that. There was always that lovely bone-shattering kick she'd been working on with Jace, and Maia had showed her some useful tricks, too. Clary smiled back, and Isabelle frowned in confusion. Clary ignored this. She was content in the knowledge that Isabelle was going to _pay_.

Luke shot wary looks at the two girls as he drove them to school. He'd predicted Clary would react like this, but Isabelle had ignored him. And Jocelyn had agreed to enrol the two of them. _Women_. He sighed.

---

Rose slumped in her seat, stretching her feet out under Cathy's chair. She brushed her light brown hair out of her eyes, and then closed them. Last night had been great, but maybe an hour or two of sleep wouldn't have hurt. And she couldn't sleep in class. Not again – not after last time.

She sighed and opened her eyes. Cathy turned to look at her and smiled.

"Tired?" she mouthed.

"Not half as tired as you, I bet!" Rose stuck out her tongue.

Cathy shrugged, a sheepish expression on her face. Then she glanced over at Simon, sitting in the corner.

"Asked out tall, dark and handsome yet?" she teased.

Rose blushed and shook her head. She looked over, but her eyes flicked over Simon, to rest on the girl that sat next to him. Maia.

Up until summer, what had stood in her way was Clary. Or to be precise, the way Simon had looked at Clary. Now, she was gone. The new girl, Maia, had replaced her at Simon's side. And if Simon didn't look at her like he had Clary, _she_ certainly didn't seem happy to be just friends.

Damn it. Clary hadn't been in love with him, nor had she led him on, so Rose didn't have a problem with her. At least, not now she was gone. Maia, on the other hand… she was competition. Competition that actually had the guts to talk to Simon.

The door opened, startling her out of her thoughts.

---

Isabelle scanned the rows of faces as they turned to stare at her. And Clary. But mostly, she noticed with a certain satisfaction, her. The boys looked at her in open admiration, and the girls looked on in dismay. All but one. Who had her warm brown eyes fixed to Simon, and… Maia. Isabelle sighed. At least Simon was looking at her, if only in shock.

Clary was glad that Isabelle caught most of the attention. At least with beauty incarnate at her side, she could be sure that most people focused on Isabelle. She didn't miss how smug she looked. The cat that got the cream had nothing on Isabelle right now.

"You're so dead!" she hissed.

"Hah! You wish," Isabelle muttered. "I'm not giving you your stele back."

"I will get you for this. And I can do that without my stele." Clary continued to glare at Isabelle.

Simon, who had apparently managed to recover enough to speak, called out to them. "Come away from the door and sit down already!"

Maia smiled and pulled out a chair of the empty desk next to her. She motioned for them to sit. Clary did, conscious of 21 pairs of eyes boring into her back. This, she decided, was infinitely worse than standing in front of the Clave. Even as Valentine's daughter.

Isabelle had no such problems. She sat on the desk, stretching out her long legs. Ah, attention. She basked in it like anyone else might sunlight.

--

The minute the girls sat down, the room erupted. Everyone started talking at once, wondering who the new girl was, and why Clary was back.

Poor Clary. To think that she was out of here for good, and then to be shoved back in… Rose shuddered at the thought. Knowing Clary, she didn't appreciate all the attention she was getting. And judging by the dirty looks she was shooting her friend, Clary considered it her fault.

Clary had changed. She was as pretty as ever, but she seemed to have hardened somehow. From the answers they had gotten when Cathy asked Simon where Clary was, they had gathered that Clary had had a bad summer. But looking at her now, Rose doubted that was all.

Had Clary been shooting those looks at anyone else, Rose would have felt sorry for them. As it was, she didn't think that the new girl needed her sympathy. She may have been beautiful, but there was something about her, about the way she moved, even. Like Maia – and Clary – she looked like she could handle herself. Unlike them, she looked like she'd do so in killer heels and designer clothes.

She glanced over at them again, noting that Maia and the new girl were deep in conversation about something, with Clary commenting now and again. Simon looked like he was in shock.

The tall girl said something which made Maia laugh, and Clary reached out and slapped her arm. Rose gasped. There was a ring of runes around Clary's arm. She was a _shadowhunter_.

Rose really focused on the little group on the corner now. She strained to her their conversation.

"…is it?" Clary demanded, sounding furious.

"Right here, sister mine," grinned the girl.

Sister? Rose had thought Clary was an only child. She shook of the thought, and returned to her eavesdropping.

"…not your sister, Izzy," said Maia.

"Yet. Give it a few years," answered Izzy, with a mischievous grin.

Clary gasped in mock horror, and Simon looked uncomfortable. Maia and Izzy laughed.

And then it hit home. And black haired shadowhuntress in New York? Called _Izzy_? That was too much of a coincidence, it had to be Isabelle Lightwood. But that would make Clary… Clary Fray. Clarissa Fairchild. _Oh my god!_ she thought.

"Had a bad summer my ass," she muttered. Clarissa Fairchild had defeated Valentine. She had joined downworlders and shadowhunters, and talked them into fighting together. _Bad summer_? That girl must've been through hell and back. _Oh my god!_

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_R&R please! I want to know what you think!_


	3. Chapter 2

This is dedicated to my lovely, lovely reviewers! So, thanks to: Mandi82, LoveXloss (cool name btw), Miss Bellsie, EdwardCullenLuv0407, and Scarlett Forest (hey - I'm Woods! Go us!). A special thanks to call us crazy, who reviewed not once but twice, and my ever patient beta, blackwitchkarma.

Thanks also for the favourites and story alerts. You are inflating my ego to insane sizes. I love yous!!

I'm sorry this took so long (especially seeing as its pretty short), but my life has been mad. Also I've been reding too much. =]

Also, I'm not very familiar with how schools in America work. So I haven't mentioned what year they're in, or anything like that. Anyway, if something seems off or anyone feels like explaining the working of American schools... review or PM me!

Well, here it is... I hope its worth the wait...

**Disclaimer: You're not going to make me say it _again_, are you? =[**

* * *

**And the Questions Begin...**

The class fell silent when the door swung open, a girl practically bouncing in the door before coming to a stop at the front of the class. Her short curly blonde hair brushed her shoulders, framing a pretty face, graced by two dancing hazel eyes.

"Good morning!" she said, setting down her bag on the teacher's table. Isabelle eyed the little blue Prada number appreciatively while the class mumbled an unintelligible reply.

"Anyone there?" asked the girl, who Isabelle belatedly noticed must be the teacher. She looked too young to be in college, yet alone a teacher.

"Good morning, Miss," chorused the class, the boys shooting embarrassed looks at Isabelle. The teacher didn't miss that.

"Haven't you ever seen a girl before?" she asked them innocently.

Clary and Maia laughed.

"Well, it looks like the guys are dying to know who you are," said the teacher, motioning for Isabelle to stand.

"I'm Isabelle Lightwood. I'm nearly 17 and I have thre-" Isabelle hesitated and Clary took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Two brothers," Isabelle continued coolly. She sat back down. "Thanks," she turned to Clary, who put an arm around her, anger momentarily forgotten.

"Well Isabelle, welcome. I can see we're going to have to get you a desk, but you're fine for now. I'm Miss Dawsen – I'll be your Spanish teacher for the rest of the semester. And Clary, it's good to have you back!" Miss Dawsen smiled warmly at Clary, who blushed.

The rest of the lesson was uneventful, as was the next – double English, which they had with Maia. Isabelle decided that she liked school, and Clary guessed (rightly) that it had to do with the amount of attention she was drawing. They were on the early lunch break, and Maia and Clary lead the way to the canteen, looking mischievous.

"What?" demanded Isabelle.

They just grinned and kept walking.

--

Clary smiled as they walked into the cafeteria. Isabelle, she knew, would hate the food. Although nothing they cooked in the kitchens was anywhere near as bad as one of Isabelle's concoctions, Isabelle had never tried to eat anything she cooked. This on the other hand… this, she would eat or go hungry. _Sweet revenge_, thought Clary happily. But then, the unthinkable. Isabelle smiled!

"It smells lovely in here! Is there pizza?" asked Isabelle, thrilled. She loved pizza, and this smelled particularly nice. "There must be! Mmmm… smells like Hawaiian to me. Yum!"

Clary scowled. Damn. Why did pizza day have to be today? The cafeteria just had to have on the only acceptable food it made on the one day she _really_ wanted to piss Isabelle off.

After they had queued for their pizzas, they saw Simon waving from a table in what could only be described as the exact centre of the room. Worse yet, about half the class was sitting there. When they noticed Clary, Maia and Isabelle, at least 5 people waved. Great. Now there was no way they could just sit somewhere else. This day was getting worse and worse.

Maia and Isabelle sat on either side of Simon, leaving Clary to sit in the only seat left, next to Isabelle. Which didn't really bother her, as it made her kick-Isabelle-under-the-table scheme that much easier. Maybe she couldn't give her food poisoning – today, at least – but sore ankles? That was easily done.

Then Isabelle turned to smile at her, and Clary noticed properly how happy she looked. Happier than when she'd killed that demon last week. Happier than she'd looked all… year. It had been nearly a year since Max's death, and Isabelle, although she had done her best to distract herself, always looked miserable in those quiet moments when no one was talking.

Clary stopped in mid-kick and sighed. There went her revenge. Not that she really minded all _that _much, because no matter what Isabelle might put her through, Clary knew that Isabelle would be – and had been – right at her side when she needed her.

--

Isabelle, from various movies and from a thorough questioning of both Maia and Simon, had learned what she could about high school. Most importantly, about how people in high school acted. So when, after a pause in which to eat a little, the table burst into chatter, this didn't surprise Isabelle.

The amount of questions angled at her and Clary, however, did.

"So, why have you come back?" called a girl across the table, brushing a blonde curl from her eyes, which were looking at Clary with curiousity and more than a little sympathy. "Not that we're not glad to see you or anything," added the girl with a smile, misinterpreting Clary's hesitation as hurt feelings.

Clary laughed. "It's nice to see you too, Cathy," she smiled. "I'd say I'm glad to be back, but I'd be lying. It's all Izzy's fault," she continued with a tragic sigh.

"I've been homeschooled with Izzy and her brother for the last half year or so. But mom thought I should be spending more time with other _people_" – Isabelle and Maia stifled a laugh - "my age. So when Izzy decided to go to school, she went to my mom, who thought it was a great idea. They only told me this morning!"

She shot a dirty look at Isabelle, making Cathy laugh. "Tough break!"

"Talking of this morning, how'd pretty boy manage to worm his way out of this?" Maia asked. It had taken everyone by surprise when Maia and Jace became friends, especially given their first impressions of each other. Not to mention how different they were. But somehow fighting had given way to friendship, and good-natured teasing, like Maia's nickname for him.

"Not even I am _that_ mental," Isabelle chimed in. "He'd turn the whole place on its head in 5 minutes. At the most."

Clary had to agree with this. She couldn't picture Jace at school. Never mind turning the place on its head, he's also have pissed off every guy in the building by the time he walked out. Jace knew she saw right through him, and he opened up to her, let her see his vulnerability. He didn't open up as completely to anyone else, although he didn't hide from Isabelle or Alec, and refrained from being an asshole to Simon, Maia or Magnus, all of whom he liked. She had long since accepted his armour was a part of him. To be honest, she loved that part of him too, and he knew it. But he really had a way of getting to people… not that he couldn't be nice and charming. He just needed to _like_ a person in order to make that effort. She sighed and shook herself back into reality.

"Who's pretty boy?" someone wanted to know. Isabelle couldn't see the speaker, and the voice was unfamiliar.

"My brother," said Isabelle, at the same time Maia said, "Clary's boyfriend."

They both laughed.

--

Rose looked up at this, mildly surprised. Clary was going out with Jace Lightwood? She had heard about the deception, how Jace turned out not to be Valentine's son, but it still startled her a little. Isabelle didn't seem to mind Clary's going out with her brother, which surprised Rose all the more. If Cathy went out with her brother, she'd never get the unwanted images out of her head. How on earth did they have a normal conversation?

She decided to tune back into the conversation, which would probably give her more insight into how careful she had to be, only to hear the questions drawing to a close. Unwilling to let her chance slip away, she quickly asked something that had been bothering her all day.

"So how do you know Clary and Simon?" she asked Isabelle curiously.

Isabelle looked at her in surprise, and then smiled warmly.

"My brothers and I met Clary at Pandemonium last year, at the start of the holidays. She and my brother Jace just kind of… clicked. They didn't start going out till the end of the summer, though. At first me and Clary weren't that close, but we all went through a lot that summer, and since, she'd been like a sister to me," she told Rose, smiling at Clary. "Simon was with us too, and that's how I know him."

"And you, Maia?" Rose really wanted to know how she fitted into all this. If Simon had been with them last summer, he knew about Isabelle and Clary, which really puzzled her. Did Maia know too?

"I know Clary's dad, and he introduced us. Last summer," Maia laughed. "I was new to the city, and they made a huge difference to my life."

Clary's dad?

Rose wasn't the only one looking confused.

"I thought you didn't know your dad?" someone asked.

Clary laughed, although something about her eyes made Rose think that she didn't like this topic. Seeing as Clary's father was Valentine, this didn't really surprise her.

"She means Luke – my new stepdad," she explained. "He's always been like a dad to me anyway."

--

After that day, the days stared moving at a normal pace again. Isabelle was delighted to be spending more time with Simon, while Clary just tried to get through the days as painlessly as possible. She missed Jace, who she had only seen twice in the whole week, the longest they'd ever been separated. Ever. But to her surprise, she started to actually enjoy the days a little. She liked spending time with Simon and Maia – and Isabelle – and she found herself growing close to Rose and Cathy. She'd always liked them, but been to shy to really get to know them well.

But the more time she spent with Rose, the more she got the feeling that Rose knew more than she should. She seemed to know exactly what to ask, and there was just something about her that seemed… well, like she belonged in Clary's world, not in the mundane one.

For her part, Rose really liked Clary and Isabelle, and as each day passed, she became more confident that they wouldn't condemn her for who she was born. She thought they might understand. The enigma of Simon and Maia puzzled her, and she often found her thoughts returning to it. Now that she actually knew them properly, she could see that they definatly knew. And being closer to him, something about Simon seemed off. It was probably just the contacts, but he seemed a little different. And acted more confident, which was not the normal reaction when around shadowhunters. Their presence usually made any _knowledgeable_ Mundies feel inferior, or at the very least nervous. Simon seemed to feel neither. Nor did Maia, but she was made of tougher stuff.

Since learning that Maia knew Clary through her stepdad, Rose had had a growing suspicion that Maia might be… well, a werewolf. What else would explain how she fitted into their world? Or how she knew Luke, who was well known around New York.

But what about Simon?

* * *

**Now, I found this really cool thingy that shows me how many views my story has been getting (Yes, I know everyone else knows about it. It just so happens that no one told _me_).**

**I'm amazed at the number, but I must tell you... please review! If you: **

**like it? I want to know!**

**hate it? Tell me!**

**have ideas to contribute? I'm listening...**

**Go on. You know you want to... REVIEW!! =] (please)**


	4. JUST TO TELL YOU

**First off, I just want to say a big thanx to everyone who's reading this, and especially to the people who have taken the time to review. I really really appreciate that, and I swear I get a warm fuzzy feeling everytime I get one! Same goes for faves. =]**

**The reason I'm posting this is because, from now until September, I'm not going to be too organised with getting chapters up. I'm still going to write whenever I get the chance, but my summer is looking a bit crazy, and I'm going to be all over the place. Updates will be few and far between, unless I'm home for more than a few days, which I'm not to sure about. So if you like this story, I suggest you put it on alert - I swear this is the one and only false alert. **

**I'm really sorry, and I hope you guys keep reading...**

**Thanx! lyx**


	5. Chapter 3

Now this is irony for you. I posted a thingy telling you I'd probably not be getting many chapters up in the next while all of two hours ago. And now... I finally post chapter 3. Go ahead, laugh. It's pretty funny (well, I think so, at least). =]

I had been planning on getting up another few chapters in between, but you can thank **Melly-0** for this update. She gave me a well needed kick up the backside, in a very very nice way. Thank you! This one's for you.

Another round of thanx due to my wonderful beta who is only ever a text away. Thanx blackwitchkarma!

**Disclaimer: ..........................*cough*notmine*cough*............................................................**

* * *

**Bombshell**

Alec Lightwood was sitting in the kitchen, his head buried in his hands. He didn't even look up when Isabelle walked in.

"It's sunny," she grumbled good-naturedly. Alec ignored her, which Isabelle, stretching and yawning, failed to notice. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the coming school day, and what her wardrobe choices were. She couldn't wear short sleeves, not around the mundies. Unless… she absently pulled up the sleeve of her pyjamas to examine the lower half of her arms. She had a bracelet of runes around her left wrist that she could easily pass off as a tattoo, and other than that, only a few pale scars from old runes.

"Three-quarter length sleeves," she mused, and then looked up at Alec, expecting some remark on her apparent self-absorption.

It was only now that she noticed his unusual position. She frowned, a line appearing on her forehead, and her sharp blue eyes scrunching. "Alec?" she asked gently.

He peeked out at her from behind his fingers. "I didn't think. I never think, do I, Izzy? Why did I…" his voice trailed off into unintelligible mutters.

"Start from the start, Alec. You _know_ I hate it when you tell stories from the middle!"

"Jace is gone. He left a note on my door, saying he had to go, and doesn't know if he'll be back. Ever!" Alec said tonelessly. Isabelle went white. "I phoned Clary, thinking maybe she'd know what he was talking apart."

"You WHAT?" Isabelle screamed, furious. "Do you realise that now we have _two_ of them to worry…" She stooped in mid sentence, seeing his face. The last time he had looked like that, they'd lost a bro-. _Don't think about that_, she reprimanded herself. _Now isn't the time_.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to Clary's." She ran out of the kitchen, and Alec returned his face to his waiting hands.

---

Jocelyn opened the door, and seeing Isabelle, assumed Clary was running late for school. "She's in her room," she smiled. She was glad that the girls were getting to spend some time around humans their age. If nothing else it would give them perspective, but importantly, it kept Clary linked to the outside world.

Isabelle gave her a tense smile back, and it looked out of place on her face. Isabelle's face never lied. Her beauty was only heightened by the way her emotions played across her features, but today her face was closed, a mask of normality. Jocelyn wondered what it was that was bothering the unflappable Isabelle, but she was gone before she had a chance to ask.

Isabelle knocked on the door of Clary's bedroom. "Clary? Open up Clary, it's me," she called, but she got no answer. She opened the door gently and let herself in, only to freeze at the sight that greeted her. "Clary?" she tried to say. It came out as a hoarse whisper that hung in the air between them.

Clary was sitting amidst a sea of paper, clearly torn out of the sketch pad that perched on her knee. She was scribbling furiously, her hand gripping the charcoal pencil tensely, expression intent on the drawing before her. Her other hand was clutching something tightly to her side.

Isabelle tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. She picked up one of the pages off the floor and looked at it. It was a picture of Jace, every line as accurate as if he were right there, looking back at her. Clary had even captured his piercing gaze, and Isabelle could nearly feel it on her, cutting through the bullshit in a typically Jace way. She dropped the paper as if it were on fire and reached for another sheet. Same picture. Portraits of Jace, all across the floor, all around Clary.

Even as she watched, Clary ripped the picture she had been drawing out of her pad, tossed it to the floor and started another, hand working furiously.

Isabelle forced herself to move and managed to shut the door behind her before kneeling down next to Clary, who let out a muffled sob. She took a closer look at her and stifled another gasp. She could actually _see_ where Clary's tears had made tracks down her face, and her hair fell like liquid fire around her. Clary _never_ wore her hair down, unless Jace asked her to. Isabelle took in the slumped shoulders, the absent eyes, and snapped. That was _enough_! Though it was really Jace she was mad at, her fury expanded to encompass Clary and her sorry state.

"That's _it_! Clary, we have a _duty_, and if it means risking our lives, so be it! Do you think I want to lose another brother? Do you think I'm not worried too? Snap out of it!" She snarled.

Clary only blinked, seemingly uncaring at Isabelle's words. This only incensed Isabelle all the more. She completely let go, channelling all her anger at Clary.

"Do you _see_ yourself Clary? The bravest, toughest person I know and you're sitting on the floor _crying_? Demon hordes? Oh no problem, but make you face a few days without Jace and all you can do is sit and feel sorry for yourself? Grow up, Clary. GROW UP!"

At this, Clary exploded. She sat up like lightning, and slapped Isabelle across the face with all her strength, sending her flying with a resounding whack.

"Don't _ever_. Talk. To. Me. Like. That." She hissed, seething. Isabelle sat up and smiled.

"There's the Clary I know and love," she said, and picked herself up with dignity. She held out her arms, and Clary, the animosity suddenly wiped from her face, threw herself into them and began to cry again.

"I'm sorry, Izzy, I just… I didn't know what to do. I love him," Clary muttered into Isabelle's back. Isabelle said nothing, just squeezed her gently and stepped back.

"Let's get you dressed, ok?" she said, and Clary nodded numbly. Isabelle reached out and took Clary's hand in hers. It was still wrapped around something, and Isabelle gently pried Clary's fingers from their death grip on it. A locket fell to the floor, which Isabelle retrieved. It was a plain and beautiful, a little gold heart on a simple chain. Clary turned it over for Isabelle to see the back. Her searching eyes finally found the tiny inscription there.

_Keep it safe_

Isabelle nearly chocked. "_Jace_ gave you that? But it's _romantic_!" She exclaimed. Clary took one look at her shocked expression and collapsed into laughter. Isabelle started to laugh too. They were gasping for air when Jocelyn opened the door, curious as to the source of the screaming. She took in the laughing girls and the angry red mark on Isabelle's cheek and decided she was better off not asking.

"Were you planning on going to school in your jammies?"

* * *

_Please don't kill me. All will be explained... I swear!_

_Okay, here's the deal. I'm here for the rest of the week, and even though I have places to be and things to do, I WILL post another chapter before next Sunday night, on one condition. _

_I will start writing, and i will post the chapte as soon as my reviews are up to... 35. Considering that its already 20-something, thats not too much to ask, is it? _

_They don't have to be positive, just tell me what you think! Go on...._

_PS It will be defo up by Sunday, but I can't promise anything before that. I'll do my bestest!_

_x landalein x_


	6. Chapter 4

Hellooooo!

I promised, didn't I? And here it is! The elusive Chapter 4. I hope you like it, seeing as you reviewed your butts off to get it here. You went above and beyond all my expectations, and do you know what? I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Ok, here is something you all should know: If you're happy this chapter is up, let me tell you who to thank. **Melly-O** not only reviewed three times, she also got a load of her friends to review, too. I'm pretty sure she's sick of me saying thanks, but here I go again, anyway. Thank you, I am speechless at your amazingness! (And good taste =P oj)

Of course, to everyone else as well, I say:

**Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou!**

Yes, I say thanks too much. Get over it. no matter how many times I say it, you should know that for me, its never an empty expression. I mean it, sincerely, everytime I say it.

**Disclaimer: Ok. You get the picture. Now stop crushing my dreams...**

So...

**How to destroy your rep in under 6 hours**

Clary walked through the classroom door with her head held high. She did a Jace, and put on her shield. God knows she'd been around him long enough to memorise how it was done. Unfortunately, she knew that hers was likely to crack under too much pressure, but she was determined that wouldn't happen. She was going to be brave, and so she swallowed her worries and acted normal. Admittedly, the laughing fit earlier had helped her calm down.

She glanced over at Isabelle, and winced. There was a clear red handprint across Isabelle's face where she had slapped her, and that was something no amount of laughing was going to get rid of. Clary blushed and began to berate herself. Internally. Isabelle would have none of her embarrassment, and was kind enough not to mention Clary's earlier breakdown. Once she had helped Clary get dressed – translation: picked out clothes for Clary and bullied her into wearing them, all the while remarking on how lucky Clary was that she didn't have many permanent runes on her arms yet, so she could wear a tank top – she had shrugged off all her attempted apologies and had simply dragged her to school. To be fair, Isabelle's clothes did seem to be drawing all attention from her face, which made Clary feel slightly better.

Isabelle was beginning to suspect she had some amount of psychic ability. She could not, she thought, have picked a better outfit for today. The simple lilac three quarter length top was plain cotton at the front, but laced up at the back with a deep violet silk ribbon. Paired with faded denim skinny jeans and lilac flip flops, the whole thing just screamed "beach party!" And judging on the amount of attention it was drawing, she had a feeling she wasn't the only one who thought so. Simon looked as if his eyes were about to pop out, which could have had something to do with the low neckline of the top. Isabelle smiled, and brushed her long hair over her shoulder. No one would be looking at her cheek today.

---

Rose hadn't been sure what to think when the girls had walked in. Sure, Isabelle looked stunning, but what was with the huge red splotch on her cheek? And the guilty looks Clary was shooting her?

Clary was acting strangely, she noticed, and when Maia had asked her what was wrong, she had said "Nothing, why?" in a panicked way. Rose decided to leave well enough alone and say nothing. She suspected this might have something to do with the recent vampire attacks and the greater demon sightings, but she wasn't positive. And it wasn't like she could ask – "Hey Clary, are you upset because there's a greater demon on the loose and vampire attacks on warlocks?" wasn't exactly the kind of thing you slipped into normal conversations.

---

By third class History, Clary was back to normal. And bored. Very, very bored. She began to sketch lightly on the edge of her book, not paying attention to what her hand was creating. Then she looked down, and stifled a laugh.

"What's that?" whispered Isabelle, following Clary's eyes to a rune scribbled on a book. Clary stifled another giggle.

"I think its"- she spluttered -"a boredom rune!"

She collapsed into silent laughter, and Isabelle's eyes lit up. She pulled out Clary's stele, which she still had safely confiscated. "Let's try it out!"

Clary nodded and let Isabelle draw it her palm, then took the stele and did the same for her. Isabelle snatched the stele back before Clary could pocket it.

"What do you want to do this evening?" asked Clary, her eyes distant. She shook her head and refocused on Isabelle.

"Let's jump in a river!" suggested Isabelle happily.

Maia, hearing this, turned around from her seat in the row in front. She was startled when she caught Clary's eyes. They seemed so… childish. She turned back to the teacher, putting it down to a lack of sleep.

"No silly! I have a _much _better idea. Two words, Izzy. Vamp bikes!" Clary exclaimed. "Let's go flying!"

Isabelle giggled. "Like Chitty-chitty bang-bang!"

Clary had recently shown Isabelle a lot of typical movies, in case anyone asked her about her childhood, or her favourite film. Isabelle had laughed at the time, but over the last week, it had proven useful.

"Only cooler!" Clary decided. They both began to giggle furiously.

The teacher, who had been studiously ignoring the noise in the back row, now turned to them. "Girls," he called. "Is there something funny? Maybe you'd care to share it with us."

"I'd love to, but I don't think anyone would be interested," announced Isabelle tragically. Clary nodded beside her. Maia once again shot them a look, and had to swallow her laugh. They were serious! _Have they been drinking?_, she wondered.

The teacher looked at her steadily and answered, "We're very interested, right class?"

Maia was now openly laughing. Mr Brady was known for being the… most interesting teacher around, and liked to mess with the students. Good times, as he put it, were fun for everyone. Except, of course, the person who was being teased – but Isabelle and Clary didn't seem to mind.

"We're going to borrow her brother's bike!" exclaimed Clary with a big grin.

Mr Brady laughed and went back to teaching. The whispering in the back row continued.

---

Cathy and Rose were already sitting in the caf when Clary and Isabelle, came in, a worried looking Maia with them. They were pointing to foods and laughing, which Rose found quite entertaining to watch. To tell the truth, she was more than a little tempted to join them. When they finally sat down, Cathy turned to Maia.

"Spill!" she whispered. "What's up with them? Have they been drinking or something?"

Clary, over hearing this, started to laugh again.

"YES!" she proclaimed. "We have drunk lots and lots of Coke!"

Isabelle started giggling too.

"I believe you. Maybe you should cut down on the sugar a little?"

Rose rolled her eyes, remembering a night not so long ago when Cathy had been high on sugar herself… well, sugar and about 10 Smirnoff's. Poor Ben had gotten the worst of _that_…

"Cathy? Tone down the mom thing already," I told her, and turned to the others. "You should see her hyper… or drunk. Last time, she went around slapping everyone in the face! Then this guy turned around and says 'Why'd you slap me?' and do you know what she did? She looked him up and down, turns to me and goes 'Tall, dark and handsome, meet your wifey!'"

Clary burst out laughing, and Cathy glared at Rose. Isabelle, however, had something to add.

"Personally, I like vampires best," she said, looking at Simon. Rose felt her blood run cold. He couldn't be… could he? Then she registered the shocked expressions on the faces around her.

"Mmm, me too! Give me some Edward Cullen any day," she said appreciatively.

Maia smiled at her, and looked relieved. Rose grinned back. She didn't wink, like she wanted to. Telling them she knew could wait until she got some guts. Or forever! Whichever came first… The conversation continued, on more innocent paths.

---

Maia was furious. How could they have been so stupid? Trying out a new rune on themselves was dangerous enough, but in _school_? Lucky she and Simon were there to cover for them! But… it was out of character, for both of them. Jace might talk Clary into something like this, but he wasn't here, so that was out. _What_'_s up with them? _Maia wondered. Mad as she was, she knew there was no point in talking to them now. She'd have to wait until the rune wore off, and deal with the consequences of their stupidity in silence.

Rose had saved Isabelle at lunch, but she was going to have to make sure that Isabelle and Clary didn't have anymore slip ups. The strange thing was that Rose seemed to know exactly what she was doing when she had made Isabelle's comment seem harmless. Maia made a mental note to mention this to Clary. Later.

The first half of Spanish passed without incident, but about halfway through, Miss Dawsen made a fatal – to her eardrums, at least – mistake.

"Does anyone know any Spanish songs?" she asked the class, expecting someone to, at the most, know a few lines of Enrique Iglesias, or some other Spanish pop singer. She was in for a surprise.

"We do!" cried Clary, standing up in her excitement.

"Really? What song?" asked Miss, surprised by Clary's enthusiasm. While she had always been a good student, jumping out of her seat was not something she usually did.

Isabelle stood now too, ever willing to join in. "Um… La Cucaracha?" she asked Clary, who nodded. "La Cucaracha," Isabelle confirmed in the general direction of Miss Dawsen.

Maia groaned. One of her pack, Rocio, had been teaching the girls and Jace Spanish at the institute. Having known Raphael before his vampire days, she also knew a lot about him. Like, for instance, his absolute hatred of that song, in any of its variants. So Rocio did the natural thing, and taught them it. They crashed Raphael's birthday (or deathday, depending how you saw it) party, and sang it at the top of their voices, Jace even going as far as dancing. And now…

The girls began to sing at the top of their voices. Well, not so much sing as shout the words into imaginary microphones. Maia cringed.

"_La cucaracha, la cucaracha,_

_Ya no puede caminar,_

_Porque no tiene, porque le falta,_

_Maríhuana que fumar!"_

Most of the class was laughing at this point, and Maia just sat back and wished she were dead. _Although_, she reflected, _not as badly as those two will tomorrow_.

"And how many of you understood that?" asked Miss Dawsen, recovering quickly from the shock. Most of the class mumbled a negative, so she turned to Clary and Isabelle. "And do you know what it means?"

"Yep!" Isabelle shouted, popping the 'p' loudly.

"It means he has no marijuana," giggled Clary, and she and Isabelle collapsed back into their seats, shaking with laughter.

"Well… anyone else?" Miss Dawsen, quite wisely, went back to teaching.

---

The rest of the day went quickly, and other than a few little slips, Maia found that she could just sit back and watch while Clary and Isabelle destroyed their reputations once and for all. It was really very entertaining, and she only had to interject comments every half hour or so.

When school ended, Maia and Simon took the girls back to the Institute, dreading what chaos they would cause on the streets if let loose. But by the times they got there and handed the girls over to a gloomy Alec and a clearly amused Magnus, Clary and Isabelle seemed drained of all energy. Clary fainted away dead in the elevator, and had to be carried to her room – still left free for emergencies or if she came to visit – by Magnus. Isabelle made it to her bed.

"I'm so tired," she mumbled wonderingly to Alec.

And then she was gone.

* * *

_Well... What do you think? Go on, tell me!_

_For reference: Yes, I do know the chorus of La Cucaracha off by heart. My mum thought it would be funny to teach it to me, and then let me repeat it to the 3yr-old daughter of her Spanish friend. Most of this stuff is based on things I have done, or would do. Only I don't need a boredom rune or any alcohol. Just sugar. _

_Ok, so, I'm going to be really nice. I'm setting a goal for **80** reviews, and then I'll post the next chapter by next Thursday at the latest. Which considering I'm going to a birthday party and helping out at a 4-day camp (days only, though), showing my devotion to you guys. _

_I know you can do it! Go on, push the green button. It will love you forever (as will I), and send you cyber cookies. And Edward Cullen, if you, like Isabelle and Rose, like vampires..._

PS I realise I haven't said this yet, so thanx to my beta, who has told me that if I am Isabelle or Clary (another one of my friends being the other), then she would be Maia, sitting and laughing. Or hiding. Or both. Which is, I can tell you from experience, true.

* * *


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